White House Science Fair: A Glimpse into the Future of America's Innovation Hub [VIDEO]

The third annual White House Science Fair kick-started today.

Teachers, students and scientists flooded the president’s residence in an all-American display of ingenuity and scientific excellence from the country’s future STEM leaders.

Projects like a watercolor painting robot, an algae powered biofuel, and a 3D-printed robotic arm wowed the crowd witnessing this year’s edition of that which is quickly becoming one of America’s most elligible science fairs.

Among the crowd was president Barack Obama. The Commander-in-chief even took it upon himself to try one of the experiments in display --  a bicycle anchored to the ground -- a system built by a group of Florida teenagers which harnesses the mechanical energy of pedaling into a electricity to run a water sanitation system.

After the mild exercise, the president shook hands with three young kids from Georgia who put together a system to automatically cool down and hydrate sweating athletes.

“Keep in mind, they’re in third, fourth grade, and they’ve already got this idea,” the president said. “If you’re inventing stuff in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?”

The science fair is part of White House effort to promote the importance of STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – and to ignite the love for these disciplines of knowledge to the future leaders and citizens of this country.

According to the White House website, this year’s Science Fair featured 100 students from more than 40 states and represented 45 different competitions and organizations that recognize the talents of America’s next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators.

Students showcased projects ranging from economically-viable algae biofuel to a robot that paints with watercolor to a computer program that improves cancer detection and many more.

 The president justified the even in the following terms: “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”

For more info into the White House fair watch live from the White House Science Fair with LeVar Burton and Bill Nye